Whirlpool flask



ocr. 16, 1945.v P. SCHLUM'BOHM y WHIRLPOOL FLASK I Filed NOV. l?, 1942 n INVENTOR Patented Oct. 16, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE WHmLPooL FLASK Peter sohlumbohm, New York; N.`Y. Y Application November 17, 1942, seria1No.465,ss1

` xicl.' 6'5-31) .The invention refersto ,a devicev forholding and pouring liquids, andnmore'specically for mixing icedV drinks and jdecanting and pouring them ywhile retaining the ice-cubes. V4The invention is'haldito classify-among the numerous groups -of 'devices designed for the same purposes, such'v as ffice-pitchers,k ;cocktailshaker, decanters? and others;` and I suggestto name this new type of device a bowlask, as'it isa kind ofv a cross-breeding between'a bowl and aliask, combining characteristic features of both. This will be easier understoodfby, reading the accompanying drawing, 1ig;'1-Fig.v5.^` i f Fig. 1 shows a bowl-flaskv in vertical section;

A Fig. 2Y illustrates the bowl-ask of Fig.- -1 fin View.` .f 'i `.f`. "fi- Fig. 3 shows the bowl-flask of Eig-.;1and"Fig. 2, partly in view, partly in section, in-pouring position for filling aglass,'indicating the upper-grip ofv the hand, diagrammatically, in contrast to the undergrip ofthe hand as indicated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4` shows a horizontal section through a bowl-ask varying in a detail from the bowliiask shown in the Fig. l-Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 showsr a hot-iron moulddesigned for blowing a bowl-ilask in glass, showing one half of the mould in view andtwo elements in-vertical section.

'I'he new bowl-flask is of utmost simplicity and is a one-piece job. In reviewing the above mentioned groups of pitchers, Adecanters, cocktailshakers and similar devices,r one will always find as object of.- theinvention: toV provide one wide openingv f or introducing ice-cubes, to-fprovide a strainer-to' retain` the ice-cubes `when pouring and finallyfto provider safeguards against spilling Vduring the mixing operation; v With the same objects in mind, I tried to avoid not only the'assemblingof several parts-which are hardto clean,'or get lost or broken-and joints-which someday `will leak-but I tried especially to avoid the use of critical materials like metalfor the, walls, plastics-for handle, lids or strainer, and rubber for gaskets .at the joints. I felt, that in making a lglass-mixer one should give up the method ofJforcing the ice in a head on direction againstn the wall. I recognized the value of a `what may be` called whirlpool-mixing ,method for a mixer. built `from glass, and I specically recognized the value of this method for mixing liquid in the presence of ice-cubes: Due

tothe greater centrifugal momentum the liquid will'form the outer part of the vortex and will serve asa cushion between the ice and the walls ofthe mixer. In any case, ice hittingythewall retaining the ice in pouring. The limitations 'of such a swirl-glass and the swirling method are obvious: The volume is limited to a glassfull; the straining and pouring are very poor; and fear of spilling dictates a slow, reluctant movement.

The bowl-flask of my invention,which 'in its special application for drink-mixing mayfalso be called a whirlpool-ask, allows a mixing action as vigorous as 'the famous kicking of the cocktail-shaker. Furthermore, greater quantitiesof drinkscan be :handled safely in awhirlpool-flask than in the `old cocktail-shaker, even' ifi glass is used as material for the walls of the/whirlpoolfiask.- 'f i As illustrated in the drawing; the bowl-flask comprises a body 3 Withztwo'tubulated openings I The "two Openings differ` in diameter and in ylength of tubulation. The smaller opening- I comprises 'along tube,` adapted for three functions: to serve as handle, as pouring spoutfand as strawberries or the like;andV it allows passage of a cleaning hand.y For thislatter purpose, the tubulation of opening 2 is held short..V On the other hand, even a shortV tubulation is Yfar superior to just a hole in the wall of body 3, as only withsuch tubulated opening the pouring function can be performed. M i

' As' shownv in the drawing, these two tubulated openings are arranged in the-upper part of the body 3 of the bowl-flask. I found-that they serve their purposes best when their axesform an angleof about the axes running radially from the center of a sphere-shaped body 3. There are three reasons for choosing this angle of about 60: rst, to leave `a sufficient shield 4 between the twoopenngs I and 2, so that in the pouring position of Fig. 3 no liquidv isY spilled by overflowing through lopening 2; second, to have the spilling level' during thev mixing v.action sulnciently highl above the center of the flask, leaving the remaining walls of the body 3 Suniciently intact to form overhanging walls. The spilling-level is the level of the lowest points of vopenings I and 2, indicated in Fig. 1 by the dotted level line I3; the vortex level is indicated by dotted line I4. Third, to create a working angle convenient for the wrist when gripping the spouthandle I in position of Fig. 1 as well as in position of Fig. 3.

While the bowl-flask embodies features of a bowl-with its wide opening Z, its overhanging walls and its flat bottom 5-and while it also embodies features of a flask-with its long neck I, its spherical body 3 and the taper II near the mouth ID, there is in the combination of such familiar features more than meets the eye.

The design of the body 3 of the bowl ask and the upwardly extending tubular handle spoutr in Fig. I with undergrip bythe right hand, a' I convenient counterclockwise turning of the wrist will result in circular pendulum movements of the bowl-flask 3, and this will cause the liquid I5 to form a vortex I4. The mixing effect of such a whirlpool may be increased by` eddying currents ,created in a bulge-groove 8 in the wall of body 3. To facilitate an intelligent use of the whirlpool-flask an arrow with head`6 and tail 'I indicates the sense of the counterclockwise movement, the filling level and the Working horizon. In the example of the drawing the arrow is formed by the groove 8. This groove, in a variation shown in Fig. 4, may be of uneven depth, being deeper at the arrows tail 1, where the liquid enters, than at the arrows head '6, for the purpose of creating eddying currents in the groove. The groove may also extendaround the whole circumference of body 3, to create a stabilizing effect. 1

In the example shown, the bottom 5 is designed parallel to the plane of the spilling level I3 and to the Yplane of the working horizon 8. This means that there is an angle of 60 between the plane of bottom 5 and the axis of the handlespout I. This bottom-angle is an optimum, for several reasons: First, the bottomV wall is towards the vortex hydrodynamically neutral and does not baille; second, it places on ,a table the bowlilask in the filling position, with groove 8 serving as level line; third, it allows one to pick up the whirlpool-flask from the table in its operating position, as also shown in Fig. 1; fourth, it allows one, conveniently for the wrist-to set down the bowl-flask from the pouring position, illustrated in Fig. 3, back upon the table; fifth, the bowl-ask does not topple over by the weight of the long handle-spout I. However, other bottom-angles are feasible, for instance an angle of about 30 between the plane of the bottom 5 and the axisof the handle-spout I. This latter arrangement will place the axis of opening 2 vertically over the bottom 5, which is convenient for supporting a strainer or the like by the tubulated opening 2 during the pouring in of the liquid.

According to the invention, the handle-spout I is designed to facilitate gripping: First, by providing a bulge 8', so that the hand may not slip off, when holding the bowl as a pendulum under the influence of the centrifugal momentum of the liquid; second, by providing an unround prole, for instance the hexagonal profile as shown in Fig. i-Fig. 3 to avoid side-snp, which would bring opening 2 below the optimal spill-level I3; third, by providing a heat-insulating wall-layer 9 for handling very cold or very hot drinks.

According. to the invention, the handle-spout I is furthermore designed to prevent passage of ice-cubes in pouring the drink. I found it advantageous to taper off the spout between the slip-bulge 8' and mouth III. Partly melted icecubes of medium size may then be entrained by the poured liquid into the handle-spout I to form there a column of'ice particles, which cools the leaving liquid flowing over said column.

To give an example of a very practical whirlpool-flask, which I have built, I supplement the drawing by giving the following dimensions: diameteriof body 3; 6% outside diameter; wide tubulated opening 2: 2%" inside diameter; handle-spout I: 1% outside diameter, tapering off to 5/8" inside diameter, with a total length of 'l1/2"; allowing 4" for the hexagonal part betweenbody and bulge; wall thickness: about 1/8.

A whirlpool-flask of such dimensions allows easy handling of 1 quart of cocktails.

\ To blow this device as a one-piece job, a hotiron mould as shown in Fig. 5 is used. The arrow I2 indicates the axis of the blowpipe and the downcoming mass of glass. It will be now evident that the spherical shape of the body 3 is optimal for two reasons: First, while .in,op-

erating position of Fig. l the device must have its largest diameter in the plane of the Vworking horizon -B, I5. Second, while blowing the glass, this spherical design means that the mass of the walls are substantially concentric with reference to the axis of the blowpipe handle, thus assuring an even distribution of the hot glass.

In the drawing,l II represents the one half of the mould; I8 is an inserted bottom plate and I6 an inserted blow-out cover. y

Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which it may be performed, I claim: f

1. A flask having a flask body of substantially spherical shape and comprising two tubulations of different length and different diameter, the tubulation of the larger diameter being of shorter length, said two tubulations being close to each other at their base in the wall of said substantially spherical body, the geometric axis of each tube passing substantially through the center of said substantially spherical body, the axes forming an angle of approximately 60, said substantial spherical body having a flat bottom, the plane of said flat bottom Vforming an angle of approximately 60 with each of the two geometrical axes of the tubulations. l

2. The structure recited in claim 1, said spherical body having a circumferential ridge formed on its surface in a plane making an angle of approximately 60 with each of said two geometrical axes which plane is parallel to the plane of the flat bottom of said substantially spherical body.

3. A flask having a flask body of substantially spherical shape and comprising two tubulations of ditferent length and different diameter, the tubulation of the vlarger diameter being of shorter length, said two tubulations being close to each other at their base in the wall of said substantially spherical body, the'tubulation of greater length and smaller diameter being adapted to serve as a handle, at least a portion of the surface of said tabulation of greater length having a non-circular cross section and an outer surface formed with ridges running parallel to the geometrical axis thereof.

4. A flask having a flask body of substantially spherical shape and comprising two tubulations of different length and different diameter, the tubulation of the larger diameter being of shorter hand of the user from slipping off the tubulation v of greater length in a direction toward the end thereof.

5. A ask having a ask body of substantially spherical shape and comprising two tubulations l5 of different length vand different diameter, the tubulation of the larger diameter being of shorter length, said two tubulations being close to each other at their base in the Wall of said substantially spherical body, the tubulation of greater length and smaller diameter being adapted to serve as a strainer for large and medium size ice pieces when the iced drink is poured through said tubulation, said tubulation of greater length comprising a portion having a polygonal 4cross section.

6. The structure recited in claim 5, the end of said tubulation of greater length having a relatively restricted outlet.

PETER SCI-ILUMBOHM. 

